Stephen Hawking and Intel Announce Connected Wheelchair

Intel has announced a new "connected wheelchair" designed to transform standard wheelchairs into data-driven machines, designed by engineering interns and endorsed by theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.

The wheelchair absorbs biometric information from the user, as well as mechanical information from the machine itself, that can then be analysed to provide a better experience for wheelchair users. It also comes with an app that allows users to map and rate the accessibility of different locations.

"A wheelchair user can now monitor important information about their health, the status of their wheelchair, and the accessibility of the place they visit, significantly improving their day to day life," says Hawking of the design.

The wheelchair is being showcased at the 2014 Intel Developer Conference in San Francisco. Hawking's life story will be told in the biopic The Theory of Everything, which we scored fairly well in our review despite a slow first half.

Katie Williams is a freelance writer and games journalist. She tweets at @desensitisation and hopes that one day, a bird will tweet back.